Fiona Schofield is a young fashion designer who started a home-based handmade millinery and accessories business in Orange in 2004 after a successful design and fashion career in Sydney. Fiona had grown up on a farm in Forbes, and so together with husband Max wanted to escape Sydney and raise their two children in the country. She finds Orange perfect, with its strong creative and community base, and with family living in the area there is support for juggling a growing family and the business. Fiona focuses on race meeting and bridal wear along with jewellery and specialised garment alteration services.

What gave you the motivation/inspiration to follow your dream?

I am a graduate of the Whitehouse School (Sydney) where I studied a two year Diploma in Fashion Design and Illustration. I had to present a folio of creative work and go through an interview before being accepted. The intensive course focused on the ins and outs of the fashion industry and included learning about colour, drawing and design through to pattern-making and creating the garments before presenting them on a fully styled and accessorised model. It was very fast paced and full-on as we had to produce at least one complete outfit every couple of months. All my other friends at uni had ‘part time’ lectures but I had to attend college Monday to Thursday from 9am to 5pm plus a half-day on Friday. We also had night classes in between so you had to make sure it was what you really wanted to do! During the course I discovered I had a passion for millinery. There were 24 students in my year. After graduation I did some teaching back at the Whitehouse School, teaching millinery for about four years, and I worked with Neil Grigg Millinery in a studio that was shared with a fashion designer. This meant I was also able keep my hand in with fashion even though I knew my passion was hats. I stayed with Neil for five years before deciding to expand my design capabilities and broaden my experience by moving to Dinosaur Designs, where I stayed for over four years. My friends thought I was crazy to give up a job with a milliner and all the perks like luncheons at the race course. However, Dinosaur proved to be a fantastic experience providing me with new skills and lots of flexibility for family responsibilities, including an in-house nanny.

At what point did you realise that your dream was actually possible and what was it that made you think you could really do it?

I never thought of myself as a ‘business woman’ but I now realise I am. The business has grown steadily, mainly through word of mouth, at a pace I am happy with. I am not a great risk taker but my business has always felt right for me, even in the beginning when I had to work hard at building trust. People have become very accustomed to buying things off the shelf, and so visiting a milliner is a new experience. On average it takes four to eight hours to create a hat. I love the one-on-one relationship working with each customer. They show me their outfit and together we develop a hat or headpiece that suits both them and their clothes. I’ve even ‘done’ hats via phone, email and the post — customers just send me photos of themselves and samples of fabric for colour matching. It can be a bit nerve-racking, but with constant communication we can assure a good outcome. Sometimes I don’t even meet the person until I see them wearing the piece at an event!

When you were a child, what did you want to ‘be’ when you grew up?

From an early age I wanted to be a fashion designer. Most of my friends were looking at a traditional university or trade path. While at school I managed to have a wonderful fashion industry work experience placement in Sydney. After that I knew I was heading in the right direction choosing creative subjects for my HSC. It wasn’t until I got to college that I realised the many career possibilities in the fashion industry, and my world really opened up.

How did your childhood influence you in later life?

I grew up on a farm 30 kilometres from Forbes and I’m the youngest in the family by quite a bit. I was sort of an ‘only’ child in a sense due to the age gap. I developed a very independent lifestyle and was quite content to just be on the farm during the holidays. My Mum taught me to sew when I was seven or eight years old. My three older sisters hadn’t been that interested so Mum was excited when I showed creative aptitude. I was never one to dress my dolls — my very patient Labrador was adorned with outfits instead.

Who are your role models?

The trio behind Dinosaur Designs have been brilliant role models. Their successful and unique approach to balancing business and life is very much on their terms. This is something I try to implement in my own ‘business and life’ juggling act. A lot of my work is seasonal so I need to make sure I manage those busy times. Working from home is tricky but great because I have young kids so I can be flexible with my hours. I try to set ‘normal’ working hours and work to those, three or four days a week. Finding the balance has taken a while. My husband is always saying there are hats in the kitchen, hats in the laundry… but I am getting better!

What does success mean to you?

I was recently interviewed for the television news. My eight year old thinks because I was on TV I must be important! For me success is more than being in the spotlight. It is about getting the life–work balance right. To be able to have a business that is running really well, growing at a pace I can manage, meeting my financial and creative goals while still being able to maintain a focus on the family, is the key thing for a successful outcome for me.

What has been one of the biggest barriers you have had to face, what happened, and how did you overcome it?

Money is always a big factor. Going from being an employee to setting up your own business throws up a host of new challenges. For example, if I am sick then the work doesn’t get done and there is no-one else to do it. I have had to look after my own superannuation and the many other things associated with running a business, which has been a steep and fast learning curve. For the first 12-18 months I was literally working to fund the business start-up costs. Working from home with no shopfront overheads has kept this manageable and I can now breathe a bit more easily. We are expecting a third child in early 2008 and so I am currently looking to take on a trainee to help with the workload. This is exciting and nerve-racking all at once, but it is the right time to take the next step. I set seasonal budgets and monthly targets. More recently with the horse flu outbreak I have had to reach out to new markets as the race wear customers are not there. I also try to link with community activities such as Field Days and Racing committees to network and promote my business. We are planning a website for sometime down the track to help overcome distance barriers.

Where do you see yourself in 10 years time? What is your vision for the future?

Long term I’d like to have a studio work space and be out of the house. It would be great to link with others and develop a ‘creative hotspot’ where lots of different things are happening. A shop has never really been part of the plan, but it is certainly not out of the question. I never rule anything out and always keep my options for the growth of the business open when planning for the future.

What would you like to say to other women who may be just starting out on a ‘Daring to Dream’ journey?

You have to run with whatever you are passionate about. If you really believe in what you are doing the rest tends to flow. Of course you have to work hard, so the important thing is to enjoy what you are doing. Work and life can blend as one. If you get the balance right you can live and work your life doing something you really enjoy.